Florida Tuskers
Founded: 2012 Placement: Division III Owner: Robert Martinez Championships: 0 Team OVR: 85 Strength: Strong Secondary Weakness: Inconsistent Offensive Line Head Coach: Philip DiMarco Captain: CB Ty Woodson (3rd Year) ' ' 'Florida Tuskers' The Florida Tuskers were originally members of the United Football League up until it's purchase in early 2011. The league itself only lasted around three years before financial difficulties caused the league to shut down in February of 2011, a full month before Tading purchased the league in March, thus claiming the rights to all of it's teams, including the Omaha Nighthawks and Las Veg as Locos. The Tuskers were officially revived in May of 2011, after the owner of the Orlando Predators decided not to join the league, instead staying in the Arena Football League. The reveal was made by former executive Robert Martinez, who like many stepped down from his position within the league to take ownership of a franchis e. Several days later, it was announced that the team had reached an agreement with former UFL executive Jerry Glanville to be the team's first coach and general manager, making him one of several coaches to be given the "double-hat" distinction, also the first as well. Glanville started his tenure by recruitong as many prospects as he could, inking deals with several UFL players, most notably RB Eric Jones, who had played his UFL career with the Virginia Destroyers. The roster held as many as 30 names around the time of the first league draft in 2012, where the team drafted DE Marvin Robinson with the 3rd overall pick, which made sense considering they were later revealed to be starting out in Division IV. Later that month it was announced that the Tuskers would play the 2012 season in their former stomping grounds at Tropicana Field, despite rumors the te am would share the same venue as the Jacksonville Sharks by playing in Jacksonville Memorial Arena. The Sharks ended up being the Tuskers' first opponent, whom defeated them 31-10. Despite losing their first game, the Tuskers ended up winning Division IV in 2012, led by coach Glanville's blitz-heavy scheme and a solid enough roster. The Tuskers didn't do very much to improve in the league's first offseason, as they failed to win a playoff game their first season in Division III. Entering the 2013 offseason, Glanville was determined to add the missing piece to his defense: a cornerback he could trust to handle making split-second decisions. The Tuskers had as solid an offense as any team faced with the issue of building their roster from scratch, but their defense suffered if a QB managed to escape their blitz. One player in particular really showed something special at the Rookie Showcase that year. He had everything Glanville wanted: size, range, speed, great instincts and a nose for causing turnovers. He was determined to get his man, but was also sure that other teams saw the same dynamic skills he did. The Tuskers sat at 7 in the draft, an d due to league rules weren't allowed to trade for a Top 5 pick. So Glanville made a bold move and decided to wait it out until he could acquire about moving up, which would be the 6th pick, held by the San Jose SaberCats, who had just joined the league after the former Georgia Force defected to the AFL. Glanville traded their seventh pick along with the Tuskers' 2015 1st round pick in exchange for moving up one spot to six. The SaberCats accepted. Then the draft came, and to the delight of Glanville, the player he so badly wanted managed to slip out of the Top 5, making him available. Glanville wasted no time in making his choice, drafting CB Ty Woodson out of Penn State. In interviews, Glanville said Ty possessed that "killer instinct" that reminded him of another one of his former players, NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. Despite the Tuskers' inability to win Division III in either 2014 or '15, Ty Woodson immediately verified his coach's bold praise by developing into one of the league's most impactful players, and the best corner in the league bar none. Glanville has done everything he could to bolster their roster around Woodson, giving them one of the more complete teams in any division, led by one of the league's premier athletes. Time will tell how far they go. 'Player Spotlight: Ty Woodson' ' ' Age: 24 Height: 6'1 Position: CB A11FL Seasons: 2 Yrs Captain: 2 Awards: Division III Defensive Rookie of the Year (2014), A11FL Defensive Player of the Year (2015), 2x A11FL All-Star ('14 & '15) Tiberius Youngblood Woodson grew up believing he would be a star athlete, and spent every moment he could trying to make that dream come true. Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, Ty spent his childhood on the field. From Pop Warner all the way through high school, he carried with him the desire to be great. So it came as no surprise that he was a 5-star recruit upon committing to Penn State in 2011. In his freshman year, he racked up five interceptions along with 68 tackles as Penn State found itself ranked fifth in the nation. But after an ankle sprain limited him to just seven games his sophomore season, things began to unravel a bit. It began when his father was hospitalized after a home invasion left him in critical condition. Ty missed three games while his father recovered from surgery to repair his lung. Upon his return, it only took a week before Ty was forced to miss another three games, this time due to a suspension. It was discovered that Ty's Penn State jersey was discovered to have made at least $3500 on the infamous site involved in the "GoJersey" scandal, and it was alleged that Ty pocketed at least $1,500 of the money. Despite Ty's claims that he had no knowledge his jersey was on the site, he was still suspended three games, essentially for failing to notify the school about the site or teammates of his using it. In total, he only playeed eight games in his senior year, and left Penn State with the scandal having damaged his reputation like many others. Things only escalated when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement saying the players involved would "have to work hard to rebuild their reputations if given the chance." With that in mind, Ty decided to register for the A11FL Rookie Showcase, where he made a huge statement by playing a phenomenal game, garnering the attention of several coaches, ending with him ranking 2nd on the Top 20 Board. But despite his high ranking, he still managed to slip out of the Top 5. But the Florida Tuskers sat at six, and head coach Jerry Glanville wasted no time in taking him on. Ty wasted no time in making a name for himself, as Glanville named him the team captain heading into his rookie season. Immediately, Ty wanted nothing more than to validate his coach's trust in him, even managing to snag his frst interception on his very first play. Ty went on to win Division III Defensive Rookie of the Year, and his 20 interceptions through his first two seasons remains a pro football record. Ty Woodson has grown into without a doubt the best corner in the A11FL, as well as the leader of the Florida Tuskers. Only time will tell what he has in store for the game next. '''Strengths: '''Excels whether in man or zone coverage sets. Incredible speed, size and strength for the position. Known for consistently locking down receivers whether running short, intermediate or deep routes. Without a doubt possesses the best hands of any defensive player in the league, notorious for almost effortlessly snatching passes out of the air. Incredible durability and stamina. Rarely takes plays off. Reliable tackler, known for delivering punishing hits if given the opportunity. High work ethic. Natural leader. '''Weaknesses: '''Occasionally commits too early on short passes, giving his reciever an easy catch. Could be more reliable when tackling in the open field.